


The Ledge

by DuskBeforeDawn



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boy Next Door, Alternate Universe - Children, First Meetings, Fluff, Kagami's insecure about his eyebrows, Kagami's mom is a boss and awesome, M/M, Neighbors, They become best friends, They meet as kids, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unless my evil side comes out (as it always does), seriously just fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-06-08 04:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6838588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DuskBeforeDawn/pseuds/DuskBeforeDawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagami moves into a house where they live close to their neighbors, his window ledge across from theirs. He meets a boy there that changes his life, and steals his heart. </p>
<p>The Boy Next Door AU that no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The story that no one asked for, but I wanted it, so I did it. The Neighborhood kids story. Also, keep in mind I based their houses off of more Western style because that's mostly what I'm familiar with. Just imagine it was a western style neighborhood okay? (The power of fanfiction~~~)
> 
> Enjoy~
> 
> (P.S. I'll probably post other stories, cause I was writing the next chappy for Dragon and the Prince but I couldn't end it in a way I liked so I left it to rattle in my brain for a few more days)
> 
> (P.P.S. Sorry I totally missed AoKaga day, but I spent some quality time with my sister bingeing on Beelzebub and Yona of the Dawn while drinking and then pausing to talk about our lives and getting into a Jerry Springer marathon. At least i made it to Friday the 13th??? lol.)
> 
> MOVING ON~

"Hurry up Taiga, you can look for your basketball later honey. Its in there somewhere," His mother, Akako, stated with a small smile playing at her lips.

"But mom—,"

"No buts, now get moving. We have a lot of stuff to get in the house before it's dark out." She merely rolled her eyes at his put out look, and then pinched his cheek. "Stop that or it'll stay that way permanently and then you'll scare all your classmates away on the first day. Wouldn't want that now would you?"

"Che," He pouted. "They'll probably be scared of me either way." Kagami unconsciously brushed his forked eyebrows with a frown. Everyone always said that they were strange and demonic, especially all the older women whenever he was younger and wanted to play with their kids at the park.

Akako scowled and squatted down a bit to look in her son's eyes as she pushed his hand away from his face. Her soft hands guided his chin so he wasn't looking at the ground, "Tai, anyone that cares how you look isn't going to be a good friend. The people that really matter will only care how you act, so look for people like that. And anyways," She pinched his cheek again, making him swat her hand away playfully. "They're adorable."

" _Mooom~"_ He groaned, exasperatedly, but the smile was back on his face. "You're just saying that cause you're my mom," Kagami mumbled and grabbed some boxes.

"Heh," She smirked, "Of course I am. I'm allowed to be biased towards my twelve year old son, but that doesn't mean it isn't true." Akako's bright red eyes glowed in pride, looking at her little man, the only one that mattered in her whole world.

"Ugh, shut it with the mushy stuff."

They continued their banter as they carried their stuff from the van and into the house. It was a western styled house that had a small porch in the front that led up to a bright red door, which would've probably scandalized most respecting citizens. It came cheap since the old lady that used to live there with her family had wanted to get rid of it quickly, so it was in a relatively good neighborhood. Plus, no one really wanted to buy it because it stood so close to the other house on the left of it, where everywhere else in the neighborhood were more spaced out. Akako didn't really mind, and so here they were, starting their new life.

Finally, after a couple hours of moving boxes, they were finished. Akako dragged her son inside with a big grin, "To celebrate finishing early, let's go play basketball!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Watch your language, little man!" She bonked him on the head, and he glared up at her.

* * *

Kagami groaned in pain, twisting this way and that on his bed after a vicious basketball game that he had with his mom. She never knew exactly how to hold back, being a former WNBA star alongside her longtime friend Alex Garcia. He mostly learned basketball from Alex with his friend Tatsuya because his mother used to be busy with her work after quitting the sport once he was born. While he appreciated her taking him seriously in basketball, it didn't make it any less painful afterwards.

He was still a little sweaty, even after taking a shower, due to the air conditioning not being installed yet, so he popped open his window. Kagami's side of the house was the one that was really close to the one next to it, but he didn't mind. There was a ledge just outside of it that he could sit on so he took out the screen to climb out. The cold night air instantly cooled him off and he sighed appreciatively, leaning against the wall next to his window. It was a nice night out and he smiled a little to himself as he looked up at the stars, just thinking about how tomorrow would go.

When he was younger he had originally lived in Japan when his father and mother tried to be together for him, but when that didn't work out again they moved to America. It had been awkward for him, being the strange redhead Japanese boy that couldn't speak proper English. He hated to go to school, since he was always picked on and got into quite a lot of fights. That was until he met Tatsuya and learned that even one person meant a world of difference. They instantly became friends and formed an instant bond, so he was really disappointed when his mother got another job in Japan. But she had looked so happy since she finally got her dream job, other than basketball of course, so he couldn't fault her for it.

Tomorrow he would go to another new school and there was a ball of nervousness sitting in his stomach. Most wouldn't be able to tell from his appearance, but he was pretty sensitive and actually cared. He hoped that he could at least find one friend, although it was already a few weeks into the school year of starting middle school. Kagami figured that friend groups would already be formed and he'd be the odd man out. That thought made him sigh and hang his head, the previous smile falling from his lips.

"Oi, what's eatin' at ya?"

Kagami's head jerked up in shock, eyes fixing instantly on the boy sitting across from him. He yelped, "Where the hell'd ya come from?!"

The boy snorted inelegantly, "Geez, you're noisy. And obviously I live in the house next to you." Kagami blinked and realized that the boy was sitting at the edge of the ledge coming from the house next to him.

His anger fled from him, face flushing in embarrassment. "Oh."

Blue eyes peered at him from underneath dark blue lashes that were thicker and longer than Kagami had ever seen on a male. _He probably makes all the girls jealous,_ he thought then shook his head at the strangeness of that. _Hell, even his eyebrows are nice and smooth, really elegant._ It wasn't odd for Kagami to look at other people's eyebrows, since he had always been so self-conscious of his own. He realized that the boy's mouth had been moving but he hadn't heard since he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"Eh? What'd you say?"

The bluenette huffed in annoyance, "I repeat yet again, what's eatin' at ya? You look down."

"Why would you care?" Kagami blurted out then cringed at how mean he sounded. "Ahh, sorry, I'm not used to people asking that."

A slender blue eyebrow rose and Kagami felt a little jealous, "You're a weird one."

He scowled, "Oi! And you're rude!"

The boy held his stomach as he burst into laughter, bright blue eyes twinkling in barely restrained amusement. "Pot," He said, pointing at Kagami, then at himself, "Kettle."

"Tch. Whatever, I'm Taiga. What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Aomine Daiki. Nice ta meetcha!" Aomine gave him a little grin. "So, what's up with your eyebrows?"

Instantly he went on defense, growling out harshly, "Shut up!"

Aomine tilted his head, "No need to freak out man, I just wanted to see if I could get ones like that!"

"EH?!" Kagami gaped at him. "Why the hell would you want eyebrows like mine?"

"Dude they're totally fucking cool! Anyways I—,"

"DAIKI YOU BETTER BE IN BED RIGHT NOW!" Came a yell from inside Aomine's house, and Kagami cringed in sympathy.

"Shit, I gotta go, night!" Aomine whispered and crawled back through his window quickly, years of practice let him easily put the window screen back on and close the window.

Kagami was still, a little bewilderedly, staring at him and watched as Aomine grinned at him and gave him a small wave before closing the window shade. Figuring that it was getting late, he too went inside, having a little more difficulty putting the screen back in. That night he went to sleep gently brushing his forked eyebrows and couldn't help but grin. _Someone thought they were cool_ , Kagami's smile brightened and he ended up falling asleep with his lips curled upwards, for once not hating them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is not the end~ I'm just posting this because idk if anyone wants me to continue this cute little story of these dorks. Should I? I probably will even if no one wants me to lol, cause i'm Aokaga trash. And there's already a second chapter brewing in my mind~
> 
>  
> 
> Comments are love :3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I continued it, lol, I couldn't help myself. Oh, it's mostly dialogue this chappy. 
> 
> Enjoy~

Aomine groaned in annoyance and laid his head on the desk. He hated it when his childhood friend Satsuki made him get up early for school. Although he did get a glimpse at his redheaded neighbor getting ready for school too. Not like he was snooping or anything (he totally was), the guy just interested him. Taiga, whom he realized never gave him his last name, came off as brash and rude, but he actually seemed to use that to protect himself. Now, Aomine may not be the sharpest tool in the box, but years of growing up around Satsuki had taught him how to read peoples movements and analyze things better than most.

Taiga had recoiled instantly when he asked about his eyebrows, and for some reason it had made him a little angry. He actually thought they were really unique, and told him so. The look of shock and hope in his ruby eyes was clear. Aomine hated that he was probably the first to tell him that.

The door slid open and the teacher cleared his throat to catch their attention. "Class, there's a new student today so please listen. Go ahead and introduce yourself."

Aomine's head shot up when he heard the familiar voice, "Uhh, hello. I'm Kagami Taiga. I just moved here from America, although I used to live here a long time ago." The redhead paused, eyes shifting from the class to the teacher, who gave him an encouraging smile. "I play basketball and I love to surf. Uhhh... Please take care of me?"

Satsuki slapped the back of his head when he started chuckling at how awkward Kagami was acting. The class became quiet and he realized everyone was looking at him, including the redhead whose eyes widened in recognition. Aomine cleared his throat in embarrassment, and their teacher, Tsubawa-sensei, glared at him.

"Ah, Aomine-kun, how nice of you to volunteer for the first question."

He pouted and shot an annoyed look to him before turning to Kagami, "Eh, How did you get into basketball?"

"My mom's a retired WNBA player, and so is her best friend, so I grew up playing." Aomine's eyes widened and he grinned. His neighbor got a whole lot more interesting.

A few more people were prompted to ask more questions. Aomine learned that Kagami used to live in LA and he moved because of his mother's new job. Although all Aomine could think of was if Kagami was good at basketball or not. He was practically vibrating in his seat the whole day, Satsuki constantly shooting him irritated looks. Once it was lunch time he shot from his seat and plopped next to Kagami, leaning his arms on the desk. Ruby eyes clashed with blue.

"Yo," Aomine drawled. "Wanna play after school?"

Kagami was quiet for a moment, "play what?"

He snorted, "Basketball, what else?"

The redhead visibly perked up at this. "Sure! But don't cry if I kick your ass!"

"Tch, like you could!" Aomine grinned and playfully punched his arm. When he realized Kagami was looking over his shoulder he turned and saw Satsuki standing over him.

"How mean Dai-chan, not introducing me to your new friend." She turned and gave Kagami a bright smile, the boys in the background fainting at the sight. "I'm Momoi Satsuki! Nice to meet you."

"Aa, likewise," Kagami said stiltedly, not exactly sure what to do in this situation. He wasn't used to talking to that many people, it usually made him uncomfortable.

Satsuki shot Aomine a look as she took the vacant seat next to the redhead and he cleared his throat, "So… did you get everything moved in yesterday? It was only your mother and you from the looks of it."

"Yeah, it didn't take as long as we thought it would. You didn't get in trouble last night did you?" Kagami asked, a little glad he had something to talk about.

Aomine shook his head, "Nah, Mom just likes to test her vocal cords a lot on me." Kagami snickered, finally relaxing a bit.

"I know what you mean, my Mom's a demon when she wants to be, even off the court." Kagami shivered just at the thought, and Aomine looked a little curious.

"That's crazy she played for WNBA though, although I should've guessed with a last name like Kagami coming from America."

Satsuki looked on curiously between the two before speaking up, "Is this the new neighbor you've been talking about Dai-chan? The one that just moved in, that you thought was odd?"

"Aa. This is him."

Kagami scowled, "Oi! I'm not odd!" He pointed at Aomine, "You're the odd one, sneaking up on me and shit last night, then acting all cool."

"Sneaking?" Satsuki glanced at Aomine who snickered.

"Sorry, that's Kuroko's thing. If you weren't such a baka and were more aware of your surroundings maybe you would have heard me open the window!"

"Who're you callin' baka you aho?!" Kagami growled, then paused. "Wait, whose Kuroko?"

Satsuki spoke up again, "Oh, he's Aomine's friend. They play basketball together a lot after school."

"Oh shit, I told him I'd play again today! Kagami wanna tag along? We can still play one-on-one though," Aomine said, smiling.

"Uh, sure." Kagami replied, his own smile widening. He grabbed his bag and pulled out three bentos. Satsuki and Aomine gaped at him.

"Who the hell're you feedin' with that? A freakin' horse?!" He said, mouth open in shock.

"Wow, you must eat a lot Kagamin." Satsuki pulled out her own bento and gave one to Aomine, who shuddered in dread.

"Shut up! So what if I eat this much? I'm a growing guy!"

"Well so am I, doesn't mean I eat enough to feed a family of four!" The bluenette said, then opened his own bento that was prepared by Satsuki and grimaced. None of the vegetables were cut and everything was a mess. "Dammit Satsuki, this looks gross as hell."

Kagami blinked and looked at the bento, and burst into laughter, tears in his eyes. "W-w-what is that?" He stuttered from laughing so hard. "It's not even cooked!"

Satsuki's lip trembled and she growled, "It is too!" When Aomine started cracking up too she smacked the back of his head.

"OI! Why'd you hit me and not him?!" Aomine yelled.

"Because." She sniffed, crossing her arms.

"That's a terrible reason," He muttered.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." Kagami stated, frown on his face while he rubbed the back of his neck.

Momoi instantly brightened, "That's okay Kagamin!"

"Don't call me that!" He flushed, whether in embarrassment or anger, Aomine didn't know.

Aomine looked back down at his food dismally, and pushed it away. "Ugh, I think I'd rather starve than die."

Kagami laughed at Momoi's put out face, "Here, you can have one of mine." He tossed one to Aomine, who caught it easily and opened it.

His mouth dropped open, and instantly started drooling at the smell. "Holy shit, it looks so good!" Aomine cracked his chopsticks, with quiet 'Itadakimasu' and popped a piece in his mouth. "Oh my god… _this is fucking amazing!_ "

This time, Kagami did blush, all the way up to his ears. Momoi squealed at the sight, whispering 'Kagamin'. "Ah, thanks!"

The bluenette scarfed it down in seconds, patting his full belly afterwards. "Damn, tell your mother she's an awesome cook! I could eat that every day."

To his surprise Kagami's blush became even more pronounced. "T-thanks, but I made that."

Momoi and Aomine's head snapped to him, chorusing together, "EHHH?!"

"Yeah, it's just something I do for fun, and I got up pretty early today so I made my own. Mom had already left and I didn't want to buy anything." Kagami explained. To Kagami's surprise, tan hands grasped his and he blinked and looked up to meet Aomine's gaze.

"Please make my bentos! I'll die before my next birthday if Satsuki keeps making them." Aomine stated dramatically. Momoi pouted next to them and glared at bit at the bento that Kagami had in his hands. "And my mom hates cooking in the morning."

"Hah?"

"C'mon man, I'm begging here!" Aomine stated seriously.

Kagami just nodded, "Yeah I guess." The redhead thought it was the least he could do for the guy who extended his friendship so freely to him, and didn't judge him based on his looks. "But I don't make them every day, usually my mom does, but I don't think she'd mind."

Aomine grinned, "Thanks! Anything's better than Satsuki's cooking." He ignored the daggers shooting from Satsuki's eyes.

"You're welcome Daiki!" Kagami smiled, tilting his head to the side a bit.

His face heated up instantly at how easy that Kagami spoke his first name, and with such a bright smile lighting his face. _Cute_ , Aomine thought. Satsuki also looked a little shocked. "Y-yeah."

"Woah, you get pretty informal really easily, don't you Kagamin?"

"Huh? I do?"

"Yeah, you can totally tell you came from America. In Japan it's not usual to see people that haven't known each other for a long time use their first names." Satsuki explained, taking on her teacher like voice.

Kagami's eyes widened and he looked at Aomine, "Oh, I didn't mean to, I totally forgot. I can call you Aomine then."

"N-no, that's fine." Aomine stuttered, face still a little red, but hidden because of his dark skin. "You're used to it from America after all, but I don't suggest doing it to other people, especially your elders."

The redhead's eyes brightened, his lips curving up, "Okay, thanks Daiki!"

Aomine merely nodded, not able to form any words. He ignored the raised eyebrow from Satsuki since he didn't know why he let Kagami do it either. There was just no way to deny that kicked puppy look that he had shot him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: lol, Kagamin, you angel. Being all fucking cute n' shit. ;) Oh, and most of the time I called Momoi by her first name because it was mostly in third person Aomine's view in a way, but when it was more focused on Kagami it was her last name. 
> 
> Comments are love :3 
> 
> And thanks to all those who wanted me to continue it :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ah, so I've really fallen in love with this story, and it seems like most of you guys have too~! ;) 
> 
> Enjoy!

The last class was finally letting out and Kagami couldn't be happier. Not only had he gotten a friend, but he was also meeting another potential friend. Aomine had surprised him by being in the same class as him, and even more by talking to him. He had noticed that no one else had bothered to introduce themselves during lunch like most would to a transfer student and knew it had to do with how scary he seemed. It wasn't his fault that he had weird eyebrows and was taller than most kids his age.

Kagami packed his things up quickly and by the time he was done Aomine was standing in front of his with a grin. "Hurry up Kagami!"

"Geez, can't you wait two seconds?" Kagami complained, but went to follow after him quickly.

"I could, but I can't wait to introduce you."

That made him a little curious, this guy seemed to be really good friends with Aomine then. "He must be pretty cool then."

"Yeah, and he loves basketball just as much as me, maybe even more. Which is hard to believe." Blue eyes glanced over to meet Kagami's, "Though I'll warn you, his basketball may not be the greatest now, but he's a little different than me and you."

"Huh?" He asked, but another voice caught their attention.

"Hey guys!" Momoi shouted and ran to catch up to them in the hallway. She huffed and sent a glare to Aomine, "Thanks for waiting you meanie!"

Aomine chuckled sheepishly, "Ah, sorry Satsuki. I was just in such a rush."

"That's okay, are you going to meet Kuroko now?" He nodded and she continued, "Alright, then I'm going to go home. It was nice to meet you Kagamin."

Kagami smiled at her. "Me too, I hope we can become good friends!"

"Yeah, anyways, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Momoi went to turn but Aomine's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

Concern was flashing across Aomine's face, "Hey, are you going to be okay walking home alone?"

Momoi's smile softened, "Of course silly Dai-chan! Plus I'm going with Acchan and Micchan most of the way. We'll be fine."

Aomine's eyes were still wary, but he seemed to feel a lot better after knowing she'd be with her friends mostly so he just nodded. She gave him one last smile before heading off to meet with her friends. Kagami and Aomine watched her go.

"You're really protective of her aren't you?" He asked with a little smirk.

"Hah?" Aomine blinked, looking over at him. "Che," He rubbed the back of his head. "Well yeah, recently people have been looking at her more and I don't really like that. She's kind of oblivious to it right now, but I see the way guys look at her." A deep frown was on his face, and Kagami couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Kagami said, gaining a confused look from Aomine. "Cause you'll be there to protect her, won't you? And now that we're friends, if you're not here I'll do it for you." He grinned.

The bluenette gazed at him for a moment, "Aa. Thanks Kagami." Aomine said, one side of his mouth curved up.

Kagami blinked, "You know, you can just call me Taiga, after all I use your first name." Grinning he adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "It's only fair."

"O-okay." Aomine swallowed harshly, "Let's go T-Taiga." Grabbing the sleeve of Kagami's jacket he tugged him down the hallway, "We're a little late to meet him." He ignored how hard his heart pounded when he said Kagami's name.

* * *

Kagami heard the basketball bouncing as they entered the gym, but to his surprise he didn't see anyone. "Where is he?"

"Oh he's here somewhere," Aomine chuckled.

"Well I don't se— ACCKK!" Kagami screeched, jumping a foot into the air at the appearance of a light blue haired guy. "The HELL?!"

"Aomine-kun, nice to see you again. I see you brought a friend." Those mysterious eyes gazed over at Kagami.

"Yeah, this is Kagami Taiga, I met him when he moved in to the house next door yesterday. Apparently his mom was a WNBA star, isn't that awesome?!" The bluenette said excitedly.

Kagami blushed, "So you're Kuroko then?"

The small guy nodded, "It's a pleasure to meet you Kagami-kun."

"Yo Tetsu, you can keep practicing, I'm gonna crush this guy in a one-on-one!" Aomine laughed at Kagami's scowling face and dragged him to the other side of the gym after getting another nod from Kuroko.

"You won't be saying that after I wipe the floor with you," Kagami growled, and caught the ball that Aomine had taken from the bin by the side of the room. They faced off and grinned at each other, moving into position.

It didn't take long before they started, Aomine's smooth ball handling making Kagami more excited. He hadn't played with anyone in a while other than his mother. The bluenette did a fast drive around Kagami, with him following close behind. Though Aomine was quite fast, Kagami wasn't far from the same skill level, so he blocked any further movement, arms spread wide. "Is that all you got?" Kagami taunted.

Aomine smirked, "Just wait." His eyes shone with pure joy, the smile on his face bigger than Kagami had ever seen before. He bounced once, then twice and with a quick jolt of speed shot the ball under Kagami's legs and while he was distracted swerved around to grab it and do a layup. A smug look was on his face as he turned around, "Heh, see!"

"Don't worry I'll get you back," Kagami said fiercely.

Nodding at each other, they faced off again. They went at it like that for a while, Kagami catching up to Aomine's score and showing moves that he wasn't familiar with just like Aomine was doing to him. Fire burned through Kagami's veins, the excitement of the game getting to him as he smiled brightly. This was what he lived for, the thrum of blood pumping through his body and rush of adrenaline. It was tied at 2-2 before Kagami smirked, thinking back to the move his mother showed him the other night. He could probably pull it off but he wasn't sure, though he was willing to take a chance.

Aomine moved to block his charge and Kagami faked going to the left, the bluenette following his movement. He pivoted on his foot, twirling his body to change directions quickly and speed around Aomine. Pure happiness went through him as the ball swooshed through the net. Aomine scowled next to him, beaten, but couldn't help smiling when Kagami turned to face him.

"That was so much fun Daiki! You're awesome at basketball," Kagami exclaimed.

Aomine grinned, "You're not too bad yourself, T-Taiga." He stuttered over Kagami's name, still not quite used to it.

Clapping was heard and they both jerked in shock. "That was a good game Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun. You are both quite skilled." Kuroko's soft voice spoke from a few feet away.

"Goddamn Tetsu, I totally forgot you were there." Aomine huffed, holding his hand to his chest. "You really have such a weak presence."

Kagami agreed mentally, then paused. "Hey, I've been wondering. Isn't there a nicer gym around here, why don't we use that one?"

"Oh, that's because the basketball team practices there but there's not much room for others." Aomine answered.

"Wait, why don't you guys join then?"

Kuroko spoke up this time, "We are in it, but while Aomine-kun's on first string I'm in the last one. I needed more space to practice, and Aomine-kun found me here one day and decided to help me out."

"Oh." He looked curiously over at Aomine, wondering why he hung out with someone that was so bad at basketball. Aomine seemed more of the type to care about the strength of a person's basketball, but Kagami guessed that he got him a little bit wrong. "So that's how Daiki and you met?"

Kuroko's eyes gleamed with something that Kagami couldn't place. Those light blue eyes glanced between them, from Aomine's flustered face to Kagami's questioning one, "That is how we met. What's more interesting than our meeting is how close you two have become in such a short time? Calling each other by first names already?" Aomine shot Kuroko a glare, which Kagami missed. The bluenette could hear the slyness in Kuroko's voice.

"Ah that," Kagami chuckled. "Well since I'm from America I accidentally called Daiki by his first name instead of last. He said it was okay after explaining not to do it to others. Although I do hope that we are friends," He shot an almost shy look over to Aomine.

"Of course," Aomine stated, which put a huge dorky smile back on the redheads face.

"So let's see what you need help with Kuroko!" Kagami said enthusiastically. Kuroko gave a small smile and nodded in agreement. He watched as Kuroko lined up to shoot, and then was hugely disappointed when the ball went completely askew.

"Shit, that was terrible." Kagami said bluntly. Aomine growled and smacked the back of his head.

"Idiot, I told you he was a bit different than me and you. He may not have natural talent, but he has the will and the drive of a true basketball player," Aomine spoke passionately. "Tetsu works harder than any other player, and practices a lot more too."

"It's alright Aomine-kun. I know that I'm not that great. But it is true that I too want to stand on the court, helping my team to victory." Kuroko said wistfully, and Kagami could see for the first time how much he loved the game.

"I see. I'm sorry then, Kuroko." He shifted from his left to right foot, not quite sure what to do. "Um, but my mom said that it helps to…" And he proceeded to explain about holding the ball when trying to shoot with mostly arm movements and sounds. "Then it's like schoomm and bam! It goes in. Do you understand?" All the while Aomine was nodding along in the background, clearly following Kagami's explanation.

Kuroko looked between them with a slightly exasperated look on his usually blank face, deadpanning, "I think Aomine-kun is the only person I know that could have followed that."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Aomine glared, pout on his face.

"Yeah!" Kagami said loudly, alongside Aomine.

"Just that you two are clearly special." Kuroko said, trying to placate them both.

Aomine and Kagami's anger fled, the bluenette saying, "Oh, well why didn't you just say that Tetsu?" Kagami nodded with him.

Kuroko sighed with an amused smile on his face. They both were so similar in his mind, "How did that go again Kagami-kun? But please try and show me this time." Kagami grinned and went through the motions, stopping every time Kuroko had a question.

* * *

Later that night after a shower, Kagami opened his window shade, not surprised to see a familiar form sitting on the ledge across from his. Slowly, he opened it to not make a noise and took out the screen, climbing out with some difficulty. "Oi, kinda late don't you think?"

A blue head rose, "Tch. Could say the same thing to you, Bakagami."

"B-bakagami?!" Kagami gaped, "Y-you… Ahomine!" It was Aomine's turn to growl at him, and they leaned forward with twin glares.

Aomine's lip twitched and before they knew it they were bursting into laughter. He smiled over at the redhead across from him and shifted into a more comfortable position so his legs were hanging between the small gap of the ledges. Kagami followed his movements, doing the same. It was a comfortable quiet for a while, just listening to the cicadas in the trees and grass.

"Kuroko was… strange. Strange but cool."

"Yeah, Tetsu was always a little weird. But he grows on you once you get to know how he works a little better." Aomine smiled softly, thinking back to how much fun he had today. Their legs bumped together gently and broke him out of his thoughts.

"Hey…" He started quietly, glancing up at Aomine for a moment before looking to the side.

"Eh?"

"I just… wanted to say thanks."

Aomine seemed bewildered by this omission. "Hah? What for?"

Kagami bit his bottom lip, "Well, I know that you didn't have to act like you knew me today, or even talk to me. It really meant a lot to me that you did, Daiki." He lifted his eyes to meet wide blue ones.

They narrowed and Aomine bonked him on the head, ignoring the shout of outrage by Kagami, "You Bakagami, you should never have to say thanks for that. If I didn't want to get to know you I wouldn't have spoken to you, and honestly all the people that didn't speak to you are losers anyways. You're better off without them!" He said, a hint of anger in his voice. "So don't be an idiot." When the redhead went to open his mouth Aomine glared, "And don't say you're sorry either. You don't have to be."

Kagami blinked in astonishment.

"Tch," Aomine clicked his tongue, looking to the side. "Anyways, you're a pretty awesome guy Taiga. So it should be me that's glad to have met you."

His eyes softened as he looked at the sheepish bluenette across from him. A big smile lit his face, "I'm glad I met you too Daiki." Their eyes met for a long moment before they looked away.

"Ugh, let's stop with all this emotional bullshit." Aomine drawled, breaking the odd tension that was between them.

He laughed and they continued talking until one of their mothers yelled up at them to go to bed. With quiet goodbyes they parted ways until the morning, small smiles on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Heya guys~ I hope you liked it, and this was a lot longer than I thought it would be.
> 
> I just wanted to say that I don't really have a huge plan for this story at all, I'm kind of winging it and seeing where it flows (it seems to have worked out well so far). So if you guys wanna suggest anything that you may want to see I could possibly write it, although I may not us it if it doesn't fit.
> 
> BTW this is the point in time that Momoi doesn't like Kuroko yet, or even see what Aomine sees in him. 
> 
> Comments are love :3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Heya, really sorry I've not been writing lately. Everything's felt like such a chore recently and I didn't want my writing to suffer for it, and I hate writing when I feel obligated to.
> 
> But, thanks for all your lovely comments and encouragement, I hope you enjoy~

A week had passed since Kagami had started his first day at school, and he was surprisingly enjoying himself. He had thought when his mother wanted to relocate that he would have a hard time starting his life over again, but it was easier than he thought. Perhaps it had to do with a certain dark skinned, blue haired idiot, but Kagami wasn't looking too deeply into it. In all honesty he was simply content to be happy with the way things were going.

Aomine and him played basketball together after school almost everyday, sometimes with Kuroko by their side, except when his coach specifically asked for him to come to the other gym. Kuroko usually stayed with Kagami on those days so that he wouldn't feel too lonely. It shocked him how much that Kuroko had warmed up to him (sometimes, he felt, a little too quickly, due to the easily given punches to the stomach when Aomine and he were in arguments). He sure could pack a punch for how small his arms looked.

But what most people didn't know was that Aomine and him met every single night out on the ledge that almost connected their houses. They would speak about everything and anything under the darkening night sky, or sometimes not speak at all, merely enjoying the company that the other provided. It felt like nothing could touch them during that time. No one could come between them or distract them, and it was invigorating. Kagami thought that he could sit there forever if he wanted. Somehow, that time was theirs.

A cough broke him from his pondering. Kagami blinked in shock at Aomine, who was still hacking into his elbow. "Are you sick?" He asked incredulously. There was no way that Aomine was sick. It just didn't seem possible; to him Aomine seemed so strong and bright that it was weird seeing him under the weather.

"Ya, what of it?" Aomine sniffled and brushed his nose with the back of his hand.

He shrugged, "I dunno, I guess I haven't seen you sick before."

The bluenette laughed, "Dumbass, we've only known each other for a couple weeks, not even, so it's no wonder you haven't."

Kagami glared at the other, scoffing at the amused smile playing around Aomine's lips. "You're still coming to school tomorrow right?"

"Tch, hell no. If there's an opportunity to not go to school I'll take it. Schools boring as heck." Aomine snorted, then paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "Well, I mean, History's actually kinda cool."

"You like History?" It amazed him how much he didn't know about Aomine, but Kagami never wanted to stop learning things about him. The bluenette was an enigma to him. He was always laughing and smiling, so full of life and energy. One would think that such a happy person would be that way all the time. Yet, he never acted the way that Kagami thought he would, such as now. Who knew that this tall, basketball brained idiot would like History of all things?

"Yeah, I like reading about how people lived in the past. It kinda shows how much has changed, and how we've changed as a nation. Like, if we didn't have that isolation period then suddenly open up our nation, the ukiyo-e paintings may never have spread in the west and become so popular. And then Japanese artists would never have been influenced by the western art. Or that our culture would never have become so diverse due to the different effects other countries had on us." Aomine stopped rambling to look at the wide-eyed Kagami, and then blushed. "…and well, sometimes I like to think about how stuff woulda changed if certain things never happened…" He coughed awkwardly and looked to the side.

"Ah, wow." Kagami gushed, "I never would have guessed that you thought so deeply on something."

"Hey!"

The redhead chuckled and scratched his cheek, "Just sayin'. But it's cool; I have no idea about half the stuff you were talking about anyways. What did you say, uko-e things? What are those?"

Aomine stared at him to make sure that he wasn't making fun of him, but the bright crimson eyes only held curiosity. His gaze softened and he explained, "You mean ukiyo-e paintings? Well, it's a type of art form. Back in the 1600s or so it was created but was mainly line work with black ink. Sometimes it depicted beautiful women or landscapes, maybe even fight scenes that usually had a flat, plain background color. It changed a bit when wood block printing was created and they made use of more vibrant colors, but really, it stayed mostly the same for around two hundred years during that period due to no outsiders being allowed into the country. It shows how little that Japan actually changed in that time." He realized that he had started rambling again and clamped his mouth shut, a little frazzled at how much of a nerd that he had seemed in front of his neighbor.

Though, Kagami just gasped in amazement, much to Aomine's relief. "Holy shit! How do you know so much about art? Do you like art too?" He leaned forward, wanting to hear more about it, not seeming to notice how close he was to the boy in front of him.

A tan hand ruffled through blue hair and he inched back, a little uncomfortable for an unknown reason. Kagami just seemed to throw Aomine off sometimes. "Ah, not as much as History. But you'd be surprised how much art affects culture and stuff. So yeah, I sometimes read a bit about the different types."

"Jeez, you're making me feel pretty stupid now Daiki," Kagami laughed playfully.

"Ha, as if I need to try. You do that yourself."

"Oi! I'm good at English!"

Aomine half shrugged, a gleam in his eye. "That's only cause you lived in America, and you're still not even that good at it."

A pout formed on Kagami's face, "Shut it, you jerk. I just can't deal with writing it, that's all. I can speak it better than anyone else here; Americans don't even use the formal English that we learn in class. They have slang for pretty much everything, it's like learning a completely different language."

"Excuses, excuses."

He growled and lightly punched Aomine's shoulder. "Ya, well… at least when I go professional I wont have to worry about another language!"

Aomine gave him a shove back, "Then how about this, you'll start teaching me English and I'll help you with Japanese History?"

Kagami, not expecting such a mature response, blankly stared at him for a moment before it sunk in. "You would do that? I don't wanna take up more of your time than I already do…"

Aomine frowned, his eyebrows scrunching together. "What did I say about doing that?" His eyes bore into red ones until the other looked to the side, "Don't look down on me Kagami." The bluenette stated firmly, purposely using Kagami's last name to show him how serious he was.

Kagami's head snapped up, "W-what?! I'm not looking down on you!"

"Tch, then stop feeling so damn sorry for yourself."

"I don't understand, what does that have to do with that?" Kagami snapped, aggravated by his confusion.

The bluenette crossed his arms, "Whenever you make it out to seem like you're forcing me to hang out with you, or play basketball, you're looking down on me! I don't hang out with you because I have to, I don't follow your orders, and I _make_ time for you because I _want_ to. You act like you're the only person here T-taiga." Aomine continued on more quietly, eyes strangely intense, "A friendship isn't a one way deal, it's give and take, trust and respect. By you trying to make my decisions your own idea, that's looking down on not only me, but you as well. When I give out my friendship, I give it fully, and you're my friend Taiga."

Kagami could only stare at him, mouth open in shock. Aomine was so insistent that he didn't know what to say, his words had hit deep, making him think back to all those times in America. Whenever he tried making friends there, they would always make sure that he had something to bring to the friendship, and once that stopped they would ditch him. Tatsuya was the only one that had ever shown him true friendship in America, and even then Kagami had screwed it up. But now, here with Aomine, he realized that all those other people hadn't truly been friends, they had only used him.

Blue eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight, and Kagami's breath caught and then shook. How could he ever show Aomine how grateful he was? Instead of the harsh voices telling him he wasn't worth anything, a familiar smooth tone replaced them, whispering those words over and over. _You're my friend._ A sting was felt behind his eyes and he sniffed. Aomine's mouth dropped open.

"Oh _fuck."_ Aomine cursed, "Shit, shit, shit, don't cry you baka!"

He tried to stop the flow of tears but they kept coming, "Sh-shut up!" Rubbing his arm over his face he tried to calm his erratic breathing down but it didn't help. Aomine floundered, completely unused to this type of situation. The bluenette jerked his hands forward to touch Kagami but hesitated. When another sniff was heard he slid forward on the ledge, and did the thing that Satsuki always did when he was upset.

Arms wrapped around Kagami and tugged him forward. His balance went off kilter and he was moved closer to the to warm body surrounding him. Kagami gasped, hands going away from his face to grip Aomine's arms and he looked up. "I'm so sorry T-taiga… I didn't mean to yell at you I promise!"

"N-no, don't say sorry." Kagami hiccuped gently, sobs subsiding.

"But… I made you cry." The normally smiling face was crumpled up in sorrow, and Kagami didn't like that look at all.

"It's not you, I just," He paused, trying to find the right words. "I guess, I've never had someone tell me that. It made me really happy…" Kagami buried his face into Aomine's shoulder, not wanting the other to see his face. He didn't see how Aomine's face darkened in anger before looking down and softening ever so slightly before glancing away.

"Baka…" He sighed and grumbled, "You really need to stop this mushy shit…"

"Mhm."

"Really though," Aomine's legs brushed Kagami's. "Nobody likes a crybaby."

Kagami didn't answer for a moment before mumbling, "Aa… keep doing that."

The bluenette paused, _keep doing what?_ That's when he realized that his hand was buried deep in Kagami's ruby locks, slowly combing through it. Aomine went to say no, but somehow his traitorous mouth said, "Okay."

Just then a loud yell from inside his house made him jump in shock, it was his mother calling for him to get into bed. Face positively burning in a mixture of mortification and embarrassment, Aomine pulled himself away from the warmth Kagami was providing. "I gotta go now, I'll talk to you tomorrow night after school." Moving with a speed that he'd never known he had before, he jumped in his window without bothering to hear Kagami's response, shutting the window and the blinds in one go.

Heart pounding, he slumped against the window. Aomine stared at his hands as if they were the reason why he did that. Boys shouldn't do that to _other_ boys… right? _It's not like it meant anything_ , Aomine reassured himself, _I was just comforting him. Right…?_

… _Right._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I totally didn't mean for this to be as sad as it turned out to be. Sorry.
> 
> Also, some of you may also say Kagami's a lil OOC in this chapter, but to me I always thought that before he moved to Japan in the real anime that that was when he gained all his confidence and stuff during his final time with Tatsuya. But since he moved there earlier the person that's affecting him is Aomine, which is bringing them closer. And I mean, we never hear anything about friends back in America but he lived there for a good 10 years or so, yet had no friends other than Tatsuya? So I kinda wanted to show how he's gaining that strength to get out of his shell and get that faith in himself. Aomine talked to him last chapter about how they're friends, but Kagami's kind of insecure and this finally solidifies it for him.
> 
> Also, I have this happening at the ledge, cause I kinda hinted that Kagami feels safe there, like its their space ya know? When people are comfortable they talk more and show more of their emotions. Plus, twelve was always such a monumental age for me in developing my personality so I think it's a good time for both of them to come closer and realized some things about each other and themselves… and now I'm rambling.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed~ And I'm going to try and write more from now on because I've been neglecting you beautiful readers. ;) Sorry there's not much fluff this time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: HEY GUYS! Sorry I've been super absent lately, just been busy. I've been writing more on this story cause I'm kinda stuck with the 16th chapter of TMI (Isn't is funny that the monster inside abbreviated is TMI? Maybe that's just me lol).
> 
> Anyways, enjoy~ BTW, NO AOMINE in this one. Sorry.

Kagami was pouting. Not that he'd admit it, but he was missing Aomine's presence in the classroom terribly. He almost wished that he would have skipped just to stay home. Sure, Momoi was there but she sat with her friends, but it wasn't the same. Aomine seemed to brighten his day without even trying. It sucked that he was sick today, he had hoped that the bug he had last night would have went away by this morning. Unfortunately Aomine had waved to him through the window this morning and indicated he was going back to bed.

A blush rose to his cheeks as he thought on the previous night. They had spoken well into the night, and he couldn't help feel embarrassed that he had let himself cry in front of Aomine. Although he hadn't been able to help it, what with the rush of gratitude and happiness he had felt towards the blue haired boy.

Sighing, he leaned his elbow on the desk and ignored the worried look Momoi shot him. Thankfully she was distracted by her two friends that she had mentioned a while ago. They seemed like nice girls themselves, but were too intimidated by him because of his intense expression. It wasn't his fault that he had been born with a naturally pissed off expression, with eyebrows that only accentuated it. His thumb brushed his eyebrow, and instead of the self-loathing that usually came up, he felt a little giddy. Aomine had said he liked them, and that overrode any previous comments.

Realizing that he had been staring blankly at the teacher while they explained the homework he jerked a little, chin coming off of his hand. Kagami blinked once and then picked his pencil to hurry in writing down the assignments. To his dismay, the teacher asked if anyone had questions and then started erasing the board. Once he got everything down he put his stuff away and waited for the teacher to leave to signal it was okay to eat lunch. It was his favorite part of the day.

Finally the man left and Kagami turned to Aomine's seat, mouth half open to ask him something before he sighed. How could he have forgotten he wasn't there when he had been thinking of him the whole time?! Kagami sometimes underestimated how forgetful he could be.

"Missing Dai-chan?" A smooth voice intoned.

He locked eyes with Momoi's. "Che, who'd miss that guy?" Kagami glanced away only to look back and see her fighting a smile.

Momoi indulged him, "Sure, sure."

"I mean, it's not… well I… Urgh…"

She laughed that tinkling laugh, making Kagami uncomfortable by how many glares were being sent his way. "I understand Kagamin. You're embarrassed to say you actually do miss him."

"Ye—what? No!"

"Mhmmmm." Momoi's usually sweet smile turned devilish, making his eyes widen. "It's okay to admit it. I promise I won't tell," She winked again.

He frowned. "You know, you're a lot different than most people realize, I think. A lot smarter for one," Kagami murmured the next part, "and a lot more evil than they'd think."

Her eyebrow twitched, but she decided to ignore hearing the last part. "Why Kagamin, I don't think you're as dumb as everyone thinks."

"Oi!"

"You say some insightful things sometimes." Before he could retort to that she continued, a slight frown marring her beautiful face, "Look, since Dai-chans not here I'd normally stay with you for lunch, but the Coach needs me to do some stuff for the basketball team before practice today. Do you want to come with me?"

Kagami stared at her for a moment before he understood that she was worried about leaving him by himself. Clearing his throat a bit (for some reason there was a suspicious clump in his throat) he shook his head, "Ah… No thanks I'll be fine by myself. I'm pretty used to it." Seeing the frown deepen he gave her a bright smile, "Don't worry about me, although thank you for offering."

The girl nodded, mollified that he'd be able to take care of himself. "Alright Kagamin, if you need me just text me. Here's my number." She smiled gently and grabbed his notebook and pencil to write it down. Kagami felt as if several eyes could have bored through him already with the intensity of the stares he was getting.

"Okay, see you after lunch." When she left he turned his head to catch who was staring at him. Perhaps they wanted to be his friends but were too shy to come and say hello? Kagami mentally nodded to himself, this was his time to shine. _What had Daiki said to me a few days ago? Just smile after you connect eyes with them… or something like that?_

He turned to face them and met one of the culprit's eyes before he forced his lips into a grin. The blonde guys' eyes widened, so Kagami thought he may be doing it right and widened his smile even further, his eyes intently gazing into the others. Blondie visibly shuddered and ran out of the room. Kagami frowned, _am I not doing it right?_ Not one to give up, he resolved to try it again later.

After realizing that he was indeed alone for the day he looked around to see if there were any groups open for him to sit with. But every time he looked at someone they would look down or start a conversation. His shoulders drooped and he grabbed his bentos, deciding to go outside for today. It didn't take him long to go around back of the school where a couple of trees stood, hiding anyone from view.

Just as he settled down underneath a giant oak tree a shout came from behind him. Kagami set all his bentos down and peered around the tree, he was a little too far away to really see anything but could hear it.

"You fucker! How dare ya do tha' to our boss!" Red beanie snarled, moving in closer to a boy Kagami couldn't distinguish. From what he could tell from this far away the kid looked around his age, so he must be in a different class, and had gray spiky hair.

"Tch. Fuck yer boss. He's a dumbass." The boy spat on him, making Red Beanie enraged. There were three other guys surrounding Gray who circled round so that he couldn't leave.

"I suggest yo shut yo trap boy, ya don't know who ya are dealin' wit." One of the other guys snapped.

"I know exactly who I'm dealin' wit, buncha idiots, that's who." Gray said, sneering down at them.

Red Beanie glared, "Tha's it, I don't giva shit what boss says, get em boys."

Kagami gasped when Gray dodged the first couple punches, giving back a few of his own in return. He was holding his own quite well, but after getting teamed up for a couple minutes it was declining fast. Not stopping to think of any consequences, Kagami leapt into action. It just wasn't right to gang up on someone, if they wanted to fight they should man up and do it one on one.

Before Red Beanie or the other three could land another punch on the gray haired boy Kagami reached them. He grasped the back of Beanie's jacket and yanked back, the boy's air left his lungs and he tripped back stopping all movement of the others as well. Gray looked at him as well, curiosity behind his gaze.

"What exactly are you guys doing?"

Beanie blinked then ripped himself from the giant redhead's grasp, though he looked younger than him Kagami did indeed stand a head above him. "Fuckin' dumbass. What's it look like we doin'?"

"Oh I know what you were doing, I just thought I'd give you a chance to explain yourself." Kagami raised a brow at him, looking down on him.

"Get the hell outta our business!" He yelled, but the other three on Beanie's side were looking around warily. Now that it was two against four, it didn't seem to appeal to them as much.

Kagami locked eyes with Gray, then looked at the bleeding lip and bruises already forming on his jaw. Usually soft ruby red orbs hardened considerably and he turned to face them. "Well if you want to fight him, then you," He pointed at the black haired feminine one, "fight him first. And then after that the next one."

"Why the hell would we obey ya?" Beanie sneered and Kagami grasped at the front of his shirt and lifted him forwards.

"Because you don't have a choice. Only fucking wimps would team up on someone. But I guess that's why you did, you look pretty weak to me," He shoved him back and his three friends caught the guy before he stumbled on his ass. They caught Beanie and glared.

Sighing he figured that he'd calm down the tense situation, "Now, why don't you guys say sorry and then you won't even have to fight him, ne?" Aomine's voice whispered in his ear and he realized this was the perfect time. His eyes narrowed in concentration at the leader (Red Beanie) and smiled, canines gleaming in the light. Unfortunately, this didn't calm them down at all and Kagami stepped forward to try again but they yelped. Red Beanie scrambled up and backwards before shooting furtive glances at Gray before screaming sorry and running away, his goonies right at his heels.

Kagami scratched his head in confusion, and mumbled, "Guess that works. Wonder what they were so scared of." Shrugging off the odd encounter he turned to see the Gray had been about to leave. "Hey wait!"

Gray looked over his shoulder and glared, "I didn't need ya help. I coulda handled 'em myself."

"Oh, is that why you're limping?" Apparently that wasn't the right thing to say because the glare intensified.

"Shut—," *Grumble*, "—up." Gray's lips pursed. Kagami couldn't help but chuckle at how the stomach growl had ruined the guys tough guy image. He stopped when he noticed some spilled food on the ground.

Brows furrowing together he looked back up, "They knocked your lunch down?" To Kagami wasting food was the biggest insult. Fire raged in his eyes, "Those _fucking assholes!_ If I get my hands on them I'll turn them into mincemeat!" He growled out ferociously.

Gray gave him an odd look, the corner of his mouth quirking up unintentionally. "You're angry because they ruined my lunch more than that they were attacking me?" He scoffed, "You're an odd one."

Kagami recognized those as the same type of words that Aomine had said to him the first time they met and he scowled, "Oi! I was equally mad… I just get a little, uh, passionate about food okay?" His scowl had slowly turned to embarrassment when he realized that he was more upset over it. "What's your name Gray?"

The guy stared at him, finally turning fully around to face him, "…Gray…?"

"Well I can't keep calling you that in my head now can I?" Kagami slowly, as if talking to a toddler.

"Tch. Freaking rude, It's Haizaki Shougo, brat."

"So, Haizaki then! I guess that makes sense with your hair. Come on," Kagami grabbed his hand before Haizaki could decline. He dragged him back to the oak tree where his bentos were still sitting. "You can have this one since my friend's absent today."

Haizaki looked speculatively at the food but at Kagami's bright gaze he frowned and took a bite, and then another, and another, until he finished the whole thing in record time. When he glanced back up Kagami was beaming at him, not the terrifying one that scared off the people from before, but a genuinely happy smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I'm Kagami Taiga by the way," He said and took the empty bento box. "Do you want another, I have four more?"

"Four more?" Haizaki couldn't help ask incredulously. Who ate fucking _four_ bentos?

Kagami laughed sheepishly, scratching his cheek, "Aa. Daiki always tells me that's not normal, but I think he's wrong. I mean, who wouldn't eat four bentos, right?" He looked at Haizaki whose silence he took as agreement.

"Wait… did you say Daiki? As in Hoshitani Daiki?" Haizaki was getting a very bad feeling in his gut. It couldn't be _that_ Daiki. Although he had heard rumors of a redhead that hung out with him, he was hoping it wasn't the guy in front of him.

"Oh no, not him. I meant _Aomine_ Daiki. He's my bestfriend." The bright smile that Kagami sent Haizaki's way suddenly seemed way more vicious than the other one. He merely nodded, but inside Haizaki was panicking, the guy even called Aomine by his first name, meaning they were close. Haizaki was dead, so, so dead.

Aomine utterly hated Haizaki. All he could think as he gave a dazed nod to Kagami, was _fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, that was fun writing Haizaki. ;3 You'll be seeing more of him from now on. Hehehe. For some reason I really like Haizaki. I wonder how Aomine will react? Muahahahha. Lol. 
> 
> Comments are love :3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yo, hope you guys enjoy.

When Kagami got home he went straight barreling past his mother, who was very amused, to his room and more importantly, his window. He yanked the thing open and crawled out without even looking where he had thrown his backpack. To his surprise, Aomine was already on his ledge snoring lightly while spread out in the afternoon sun. The redhead huffed in mirth.

"OI! Daiki!" Kagami yelled in his ear and smothered a laugh at the disgruntled look Aomine shot him.

"God you're too chipper for me today," Came the slow drawl, which was in a lower register than usual.

He pouted, "You're still not sick are you?" Kagami stepped over the small divides in the ledges to sit down next to the bluenette. Aomine rolled and gazed up at him with half lidded eyes.

"Eh."

"That wasn't an answer you know." He poked one tan cheek. "Daiiikiii." Poke. "Daikiiii." Poke.

Aomine growled, "Stop it, baka." Poke. "Dammit, I'm fine. Just a lil' tired ya know?"

He snorted, "You've been sleeping all day. Lazy ass. Oh, that reminds me, Kuroko says that he wishes you well."

"Hhhn."

Kagami sighed, eye twitching in annoyance. "If you don't stop sleeping while we're hanging out I'll push you straight off this ledge."

"Hahh? Why would ya do such a thing?" Blue eyes slid open, staring at him with fake innocence and widened. Kagami groaned.

"Don't pull those eyes at me."

"What eyes?" Aomine smirked and stretched his arms up, scooting closer to Kagami's leg and batted his eyelashes exaggeratedly.

"Those only work on kids you know," Was what Kagami said, but he was having a hard time against them himself.

Aomine laughed and nudged his head against Kagami's leg, making him smile brightly. Finally, the redhead just gave up and leaned back himself. They sat there for a little, watching the clouds drift across the sky. It was such a peaceful moment that Kagami couldn't help the content smile stretching over his face. Today had been a great day, and it was crazy to think that a while ago he had been so nervous about starting a new school and having to make friends all over again. And look at him now, two friends, possibly four friends if one counted Momoi and Kuroko.

Kagami blinked, and turned to Aomine. "Yo, I made another friend today. I almost forgot to tell you!"

"Hah? That so?"

"Mhm. He's kinda strange, but pretty nice."

"Oh, where'd you meet him?" Aomine asked, pleased that Kagami had bothered to take his advice and try to connect with other people too. He had realized that Kagami was starting to depend on him a little, and while he didn't mind that (not at all), he knew that Kagami wasn't as happy as he could be. And well… Kagami happy tended to make Aomine happy.

"Well, you weren't there for lunch and Momoi was busy with something so I went out back. It's a really nice day today and figured I'd eat in the sun." Kagami frowned thinking back on how those boys had been bullying Haizaki. He didn't understand how people could be so mean; it made him a little sad that someone had to go through what he did. "There were a couple of kids bullying him and I butted in and told them to knock it off. So I tried what you told me and smiled and they seemed to take it well and went away!" The redhead beamed at Aomine, whose eyebrows had shot up almost to his hairline. "Maybe now that they stopped bullying him we can all be friends?!"

Somehow Aomine didn't think that was the way those guys took it at all. Kagami had a hard time smiling when he wasn't happy, he was just one of those guys that wore their hearts on their sleeves so to speak. That particular instance didn't seem like it would be one where Kagami was truly smiling. "Taiga," He paused, for once not stuttering, waiting for Kagami to look at him, "don't bother with people like that. They're not worth the time, most people wont change unless they truly want to. I'm glad you made friends with the kid they were bullying cause they probably need someone like you, but the others wont care what you told them."

The look in Kagami's eyes made him frown even more, "So you don't think they want to stop what they're doing to other people? I mean just because the kids that used to— uhhh." Kagami clammed right up.

Aomine sat up, "Bully's will always be bully unless they finally see themselves what they're doing wrong. I know it's hard for you to understand why they do that, even I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that kid that you helped probably thought the world of it."

The bluenette decided to ignore what Kagami was avoiding, if he felt comfortable enough he would tell Aomine. Although, Aomine had a pretty good idea that Kagami had been bullied, he had all the signs, low self-confidence in his looks and school, a hard time in social situations, and how much he depended on Aomine. Thankfully, they didn't run too deep, which was probably due to his skill in basketball and passion for it. Aomine's eyes darkened, and he couldn't help the anger that stirred in his stomach. Anyone that could do such a thing didn't deserve to be friends with someone like Kagami.

"Daiki?" Kagami asked softly. He could tell that Aomine was upset about this. "Sorry I brought this up. We can talk about something else you know?"

"No, it's not that T-Taiga." Aomine smiled lightly at him, eyes soft. Such an angel Kagami was, trying to cheer him up even though Kagami had an even harder time talking about this and was probably more upset than him. "I just really don't like people who think like that. SO," Aomine drew a deep breath and relaxed, "tell me about this new friend of yours."

Kagami looked at him for a minute then a slow smile spread, eyes brightening, "Alright. Hmm. Well, he seemed kinda rude, but he still sat down and ate with me."

Aomine snorted, "Who wouldn't, you have the food of the gods."

The redhead just rolled his eyes and ignored him, although his cheeks were heated, "A-Anyways, it didn't really seem like he needed the help cause he was fighting back, but I didn't like the odds of three against one."

"He was fighting three against one?" Aomine couldn't help but be a little impressed, that was a tough thing after all.

"Aa. He was doing pretty well too, looked like he knew how to fight. And he was a little grumpy but warmed up pretty quickly, though he was closed up about himself. He was a lot like you, ya know?"

Aomine glared at him, crossing his arms. "EH?! What's that supposed to mean?! I'm not closed up! I'm as open as the fucking sky!"

He couldn't help but snort into his hand, "That was the stupidest thing I've heard all day." A pout came over the bluenette's face and this time Kagami didn't stop himself from laughing loudly. The previous mood from before was gone and Kagami was grateful.

"Oi, you're being mean Taiga!" Aomine scowled, "And seriously, tell me how I'm like that at all!"

Kagami thought about it for a moment, "Hmmm. You're always talking about basketball and stuff for sure, but yesterday was pretty much the first time you've really told me something you liked. I totally didn't know you were into art that much, so I was kinda shocked." Aomine stared at him with eyes wide open. "I really enjoy spending time with you Daiki, and you never seem bothered, but I'd also like to know more about you. You're my best friend after all, aren't you?"

Kagami was staring to the side, and glanced back at him from underneath his bangs shyly. Perhaps he had been a little distant, but Aomine couldn't help it, people from his grade looked up to him and expected the best of him. He rarely had the time to really stop and think about his own likes (other than basketball of course) and take the opportunity to really talk to anyone. The redhead across from him was the first person to really get close to him outside of basketball in a long time. Sure, Kuroko and he met up, and they connected in basketball, but they hadn't reached the point of meeting up outside of it. And Momoi had always been there, she was more like a sister than anything. So… Kagami was really his best friend.

"Yeah… yeah, you're my best friend Taiga. I know that we only met a week ago, but, and gosh I cant believe I'm this mushy but… it seems like we've known each other for a while. So I guess I'll try and open up more."

A bright smile almost blinded Aomine, and he couldn't help how his ears heated up at the sight. "Thanks Daiki!" Kagami lurched across the small space between them and wrapped his arms around his neck. He gave him a small squeeze and pulled back before Aomine could even blink.

"Eh, whatever." Aomine muttered, trying to feign disinterest, but that didn't fool Kagami one bit. "Well, It's almost time for dinner, so I'ma go in, then sleep some more before school tomorrow." His form was a bit achy from lying down so long and he groaned while standing up.

"Okay! See ya tomorrow Daiki." Kagami went back to his side of the ledge, giving him a wave before popping inside.

"Oi, you should make something with teriyaki for lunch tomorrow," Aomine said without looking back and it made Kagami pause. The redhead heard him clear his throat before he spoke again, "And, uh, I like… banana milk." With that, Aomine's window was quickly shut and the blinds were drawn down.

Kagami wasn't quite sure what to make of that right away, and was still staring at the spot Aomine had been in a moment ago. He liked teriyaki and banana milk…? Red eyes widened and he smiled. _What a dork, is this his way of trying to tell me more about himself? And he likes_ banana milk _of all things?_ A chuckle burst out of him. That was actually pretty adorable, it was like he was one of the girls in class with their cutesy drinks and foods. Kagami shook his head in amusement and shut his own window, going down to greet his mother and help her with dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, it was a lil shorter than the past few chapters, but originally this story wasn't really supposed to be longer ones, just fun and light. Welll… I feel like I'm writing depressing things in chapters, bullying, self loathing… gosh, I may as well hit all the things teenagers deal with lol. Hopefully all the Aokaga fluff is making up for that. I just have such a tendency to write sad things. Haha, oh well.
> 
> So no Haizaki this chapter, but he'll probably be featuring the next one. Annnnnd *rubs hands together* Aomine and Haizaki will officially meet! Muahahaha… How do you guys think it'll go? Will there be yelling? Fists flying? Jealousy? Perhaps something unexpected? Tell me what you think!
> 
> Comments are love :3 And thanks to all the great reviewers so far and those that I may not have replied to. I'm really bad at it. BUT I DO READ THEM ALL! ;) Like all the time, lol. I'm really surprised how many people love this story, over 50 comments (without counting my replies)! THANKS SO MUCH!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yo, back for a seventh chapter. Enjoy the meeting between them ~
> 
> ALSO, I know there's a part in here that's from the scene used in KNB but it's for second (third? Seriously timelines are fucking hard) year and hasn't happened yet but pheh, I do what I want lol. Nah, just kidding, but I did make it happen earlier.

"Come on this way," Kagami said as he walked to the back of the school, "It's back here." It didn't take to long to reach where he was talking about and they quickly set down their stuff next to the tree Kagami had used yesterday.

"So whose this friend of yours?" Momoi asked Kagami curiously. "Dai-chan never told me his name."

"What an idiot, I bet he forgot," the redhead snickered, getting a glare from him.

"OI! You never told me!"

"Mhm, I'm sure I said it."

"Did not!"

Kagami scowled, "Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!" By this point they were in each other's faces shouting, glaring daggers at each other.

Momoi forced a hand between them and shoved, "Boys! Stop it." Both huffed and crossed their arms but nodded. When she looked away he stuck his tongue out at Kagami who looked annoyed. "Geez, so rowdy. You still haven't told us who it is," Momoi pointed out and Kagami blinked.

"Oh, well his name's—," A loud shout cut them off and they looked towards the sounds. "Shit," Kagami cursed, and then bolted towards it. Aomine and Momoi shared a speculative look before following closely, now able to see three people hitting someone on the ground around the corner of the school where no one could see.

Kagami was suddenly on them, tearing them off of the person on the ground with viciousness that he hadn't shown anywhere other than on the basketball court. Pure anger was boiling through him, because _how dare they hurt his friend again!_ "You bastards!" His fist hit someone's face with a crack, sending him or her straight to the ground for a few moments, enough for Aomine to storm over and pull the others off.

The bluenette was downright scandalized, and he shook the scared kid in his hands. Aomine glared menacingly at the black haired boy, "What in the world do you think you were doing? Beating someone when they're already down is fucking shameful." Shoving him back, Aomine made sure to give him the dirtiest look he had before looking over towards Momoi worriedly.

His eyes widened as he saw a flash of pink run past him and jump before Momoi's feet slammed into the last boy. The guy went flying and Aomine burst into laughter, "What the hell Satsuki?! When could you do that?"

She glanced at him with a bright grin, "Oh well I've been watching some old movies lately, just thought I'd try it out!" Momoi gave him a peace sign and giggled, he merely shook his head and sighed.

"You're going to be the death of me, Satsuki. Don't worry me like that, what if you had missed?" Momoi merely rolled her eyes and looked over towards Kagami who was raging over the red beanie guy.

Kagami let go of the guy and shouted something, making Red Beanie scamper off quickly. A groan was heard and Aomine looked down to find the last person he expected, because really… _HAIZAKI?!_ Why the fuck was Haizaki being beaten up? _I mean he is a complete asshole,_ Aomine thought to himself _, but how come he never told anyone on the team before? We would have don't something… tch, well he probably deserved to be punched, but beaten when he's on the ground, hardly. Wait…_ he looked at Kagami who was gesturing angrily after the trail of the offenders to Haizaki himself… _could it be…?_

"Is this who you met yesterday?" Aomine questioned quietly, dreading the worst. A flash of Kagami's smile confirmed his fears.

"Yep!"

"Haizaki-kun is your friend?" Momoi stepped up, pushing her hair behind her ears. Aomine was still glaring at Haizaki, but he wasn't saying anything since he knew that Kagami wouldn't like it.

"Yeah," Kagami nodded.

Haizaki scoffed, "Who said I was your friend?" Leaning up from the ground he coughed a bit and spit out some blood from when he bit the side of his mouth.

"We ate food together."

"…So?"

Kagami laughed, "Silly, that means that were friends obviously!" Haizaki shot him an odd look, while Momoi couldn't help but giggle.

"What kind of friendships are you used to?" The gray haired male muttered.

"Here," Kagami held out a hand, "I brought an extra bento for you today." He eyed the scattered food on the ground yet again, the same as yesterday. Thankfully he brought an extra one just in case; although he hoped there wouldn't be a repeat. Kids were cruel though.

Haizaki stared at his hand and stood up without help, making Kagami pout. Scratching the back of his neck Haizaki mulled over the words before giving a short nod, "Food?"

The smile was back on Kagami's face at that, but he hid it behind his hand, making the gray haired boy's eyebrow twitch. "Alright! This way." When they walked away Aomine could only watch after them, frown on his face and eyebrows scrunched in thought.

Aomine jumped momentarily when a gentle hand brushed his arm. "I'm fine Satsuki."

"I know you don't like Haizaki-kun but isn't it good that Kagamin got a friend?" Her question only made him frown harder.

Honestly that wasn't what was bugging him. It was just that… he was thinking back to the day when Haizaki tried to steal some of the basketball teams food. Aomine had flipped out on him, and Murasakibara about crushed the guy, but he couldn't understand how Haizaki's reply back then was because 'food looked better when other people are eating it' when now it was clear that he didn't have food. So why did he hide behind that arrogant attitude? Was it because of what just happened, was Haizaki of all people getting bullied?! The world was not making sense anymore, and Aomine felt a little guilt and anger build up in his stomach.

"Hh." He grunted, shrugging Momoi's arm off to follow after the other two. Plopping down next to Kagami he leaned over and snatched a blue bento box that Aomine had started officially calling 'his'. When he opened it and found teriyaki in it his eyes brightened and a small smile came to his lips.

"Daiki, here." Aomine blinked at the banana milk juice box and blushed bright red. Haizaki snickered at his face and Aomine shot him a glare.

"That's so cute _Daiki_ ," Haizaki drawled, while in his mind he was wondering why the hell he was antagonizing a guy that could kick his ass, "your own personal banana milk. Should I go shopping for a cute blue dress next to match your hair?" Aomine tensed and barely restrained himself from finishing where those kids left off, how could he have felt guilty for this bastard?

"Hey!" Momoi spoke up, eyes fierce, and Aomine smirked. When she wanted to, Momoi could give a good thrashing. "Dai-chan would look _wayyy_ more cute in a white dress!" His mouth dropped open.

"WHAT?!"

"With lots of white ruffles!" She added with a sharp nod.

"WHAT?!"

Kagami and Haizaki burst into laughter at his face and the bluenette flushed deep red, a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Slamming his bento down he growled at both of them.

"First off, I do _not_ look cute." He was waving his chopsticks around angrily at this point, "Second, I will never in my life wear a damn dress. And thirdly, Haizaki, tease me about my banana milk and I swear that I'll tell everyone what happened last year!" Haizaki choked on his food and paled.

Momoi and Kagami shared a look before staring at them curiously. "What happened last year?"

Haizaki snapped, "Nothing!" Aomine laughed at him this time.

"Well this one time I was searching for an extra shirt in the lockers—,"

Momoi glared, "Through other people's stuff? Dai-chan!"

"And I found this—," Haizaki moved so fast even Aomine didn't see his hand slam over his mouth.

"Shut up! I wont say anything more about your damn girly milk, alright?!" He growled, face close and eyes dark with anger. Aomine shoved him off.

"Good."

"You guys are really funny!" Kagami laughed, smiling brightly at them as he finished his lunch. "Did you guys know each other before today, cause you seem to get along?"

They both choked this time, staring at him in what could only be described as pure terror. "I don't get along with this bastard!" Pointing at each other they shouted it in perfect harmony, only making Momoi and Kagami laugh harder.

"We've known him for a year or so, Dai-chan's on the basketball team with him too." Momoi shot Aomine an amused, yet calculating glance, "Though they aren't really friends and don't spend time with each other outside of practice."

"Never would've guessed."

Aomine was still in shock but glared at Kagami's response, "This bastard and me don't get along at all. He's a jerk. Clearly."

Kagami turned to Haizaki, "I don't know, you seem nice to me!" His full-blown grin made the gray haired boy's eye's widen and something flashed through them. Aomine saw this, silently fuming.

"I'm not nice!" Just as he said, "He's not nice!"

More laughter was heard, and Kagami was slapping his knee in pure glee, "Man, you guys could be a comedy act!"

Aomine didn't respond to that but sent a confused look to Haizaki, "See, he even _knows_ he's not nice!" And murmured to himself, "Though I don't know what type of idiot would admit to it."

"Oi fucker! I heard that!" Haizaki snapped at him. "I am a realist, that's all."

"Tch, big word for you."

"You're saying that cause you don't know what it means."

Aomine clicked his tongue again in annoyance; he definitely knew what that mean. Definitely. Haizaki was absolutely _not_ smarter than him. "Whatever, that's coming from a kid who looks like an old man. It's no wonder you know what it means, you look about, eh," His eyes went over him in a smug manner, "about sixty."

Haizaki snarled, fist's clenched, "You ass! I'm not an old man! My hair is natural! Natural I tell you!" By the end it was a roar of anger, all the while Aomine was snickering into his hands, smirk still in place.

A flick to his forehead wiped away that smirk, and he pouted at Momoi. She had her hands on her hips and pose was clearly mothering. "Dai-chan," Her tone dragged out, spelling out doom. "That wasn't nice at all! Haizaki has natural dark gray hair. And unlike someone, he obviously takes care of it!" The pink menace marched over to Haizaki's spot, to the guy's shock, and grasped a strand of it to show everyone. "Look! No split ends, and super smooth!"

"…Congratulations?" Aomine said, was this supposed to make him feel bad?

"No way! Daiki's hair is definitely more soft!" A yell from his side made him tense. Kagami was fighting over his hair being softer?

"What? I've felt Dai-chan's hair a bunch and Zaki-kun's hair is smoother!" Haizaki blinked, mouthing the words 'Zaki-kun?' but not even able to get an angry word in. When did he turn into Zaki-kun?!

"Tch! Daiki's is softer!" Aomine's face burned, he didn't mind Kagami coming to his defense, but did they really have to bicker about the girliest things?

"Zaki-kun's is smoother!"

Aomine was getting déjà vu as they continued to argue with each other. "Um…" He cut in, "wasn't this about me? Why are you guys arguing now?" Aomine glanced at a bewildered Haizaki, "And about our hair of all things?"

Momoi and Kagami paused, having no real answer. "Well… ahhh…" Aomine noticed this was the first time she didn't have answer right away. "I mean, you were making fun of his hair and that's rude, so I was just saying something I thought that was nice about it. Yeah," Momoi nodded.

Aomine donned a sly grin, "Then why's your hand still in his hair?" Momoi checked and snatched back her hand.

A bright flush crept across her cheeks, and she stared daggers at him, "Shut up Dai-chan! It's not like that and you know it!"

"Ohoho," Aomine snickered, "Look's like lil Satsu-chan's getting flustered!" Kagami and him laughed deeply, almost falling over, and ended up leaning into each other.

" _Aomine Daiki…_ " Came a quietly furious voice, and they shivered at the powerful presence. Both gulped and looked up, staring into the face of Momoi, who looked like she had the fires of hell behind her. "I'm going to tell your mother when I get home!"

Aomine gasped. "You wouldn't!" The stare she gave him showed how serious she was. "Y-you monster, you know my mom will kill me!"

"She will? I had no idea," Momoi tossed her hair over her shoulder in fake ignorance. The bell went off and Momoi started walking back, Aomine at her heels begging her not to tell his mom.

Kagami snickered again and looked at Haizaki. "Hey," he said softly, not exactly sure why. "If you come back here tomorrow you're welcome to join us."

The gray haired male wasn't looking at him though, his eyes darkened in thought. "…Why?" Haizaki murmured quietly through a veil of his hair.

"Hah?" Kagami tilted his head, confused. "Why what?"

"Why are you inviting me back? I've been an ass to you and your friends the entire time."

"Eh?! No you haven't." Kagami thought for a moment, and then had an idea. "If it's about Daiki, he's just like that. You gotta do what you did earlier and argue with him to show him he's wrong. Plus, you haven't been rude to me at all. You shared food with me, talked and laughed with me. I'd say that's about the farthest thing from being a jerk."

Haizaki was staring at him with wide eyes now, and Kagami could see flicks of silver in them. Then suddenly his face closed off, but it was somehow softer than when they first met, "Che, you're really odd Kagami," and then he got up to leave.

"Oi!" Kagami yelled after him, but he pretended not to hear and kept walking away. If anyone had pointed out the small smile on Haizaki's face he would have denied it to the end.

_I'll just go back for a bento tomorrow_ , he thought. _Just for the food_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: D'awww. Haizaki's so freakin' cuteee! ;)
> 
> Isn't it funny, while I was reading I realized that Momoi was the one that was worrying Aomine but in the anime later on it's the other way hahaha.
> 
> This was just pure arguing, lol. But I actually really like how this chapter turned out. It's hard balancing Haizaki to make him an asshole but yet not, Idk.
> 
> Anyways, comments are love :3


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